“Made in USA,” Ethical Shopping, and Slow Fashion

2018 update: We still stand by this advice on where to find ethical clothing for work, and links have been updated below. You may also want to check out our Guide to Slow Fashion.

John Oliver’s recent segment on Last Week Tonight, his HBO show, has brought “fast fashion” back into the news — two years after the horrifying Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,100 people. (The factory was linked to several well known U.S. and European clothing brands.) If you want to make ethical shopping choices, avoid contributing to sweatshop labor, and buy “Made in U.S.A.,” where do you start? Reader M wonders…

I am curious if you have written a post about domestic made corporate wear, shoes, handbags etc. I tried to search the blog but I didn’t find anything. I am very interested in having quality non-China made items. I love your blog and the helpful suggestions you offer.

It can be tough to find clothing and accessories that are made domestically — in other words, under U.S. labor and environmental laws. Of the clothing and shoes sold in this country, more than 97% is made overseas. In 1991, the figure was 44%.

We haven’t really covered this topic before (although commenters have been discussing it). This is the first in a series of posts about slow fashion and ethical shopping choices — we also plan to cover:

Made in the U.S.A. — Including “Slow Fashion” Brands

The phrase “Made in U.S.A.” is not as straightforward as you might expect. The FTC guidelines on proper labeling are lengthy and complicated — and, unfortunately, sweatshops operate in this country, too. For now, striving to be an ethical shopper means making do with the information you have, and doing what your budget and time allow. The smaller labels below are less likely to offer petite, tall, and plus sizes — and of course, the prices are higher (for good reason). That said, here are some companies that keep their production in the U.S.:

Arkins: All textiles used are 100% natural, and more than 80% are Certified Fair Trade. All clothing is produced in Arkins’ NYC studio, where “each piece is produced on a made-to-order basis to limit excess.”

Dobbin: All clothing is manufactured in the U.S. (in NYC) from European fabrics. [2018 Update: Dobbin is currently “taking a break,” alas.]

Zady: Zady’stagline is “A Lifestyle Destination For Conscious Consumers,” but it’s not easy to find information on their production policies. Their new “Essentials Collection,” however, is entirely made in the U.S. Zady releases just one new Essentials item at a time, like this $36 organic-cotton t-shirt. [2018 Update: Unfortunately, Zady is no more.]

Oak73: This company produces its clothing and bags “responsibly” in the U.S., although some of it isn’t office-appropriate (too-short hemlines, etc.). This tweed jacket is $250. [2018 Update: Alas, Oak73 is no longer in business.]

Cuyana: As with Zady, it’s hard to find specifics about sourcing, etc., on Cuyana’s website, which sells clothing, bags, and accessories, but it mentions “intentional buying” and provides details for some of its suppliers here. Again, not everything is work-appropriate, but some pieces are, like this U.S.A.-made silk tee for $155.

Of A Kind: Some of the clothing, shoes, accessories, and other items at Of A Kind (which strives to feature pieces from new designers) are made in the U.S., like this $99 oxford shirt, although the degree of work-appropriateness varies.

Bailey44: Most of this label’s clothing — some of which is acceptable as officewear — is designed and made in Los Angeles (the brand says, “we make as much of the collection as possible in L.A.”). This $198 Cinnamon Dress is made in the U.S. from “domestic fabric.”

Judith & Charles: We included this one for our readers in Canada — the brand says 80% of its clothing (much of it work-appropriate) is made “locally.” The Andi Dress is $450.

Lesley Evers: Everything from this bright and colorful California-based brand is made in Oakland, and the fabrics are printed in L.A. Many styles are too casual for workwear, but some are better bets (at least for offices that aren’t super-conservative), likethis blazer or wrap dress, both of which are machine washable.

Fair Indigo: Fair Indigo sells both imported, fair-trade pieces and items that are domestically produced. The site gives you the option to “shop your values” by browsing fair-trade, organic, U.S.A.-made, recycled, and 100% cotton items — but most of the clothing included is too casual for workwear. (Looks like a great site for gift-buying, though!)

Three Dots: As with several of these brands listed here, much of Three Dots’ clothing tends toward the casual, but some pieces could work for the office, such as this machine-washable sleeveless wrap top at Zappos, on sale for $70.99 (however, it does note both “Made in the U.S.A.” and “imported”).

American Apparel: OK, yes, the company’s clothes are made in the U.S., but, as you probably already know, they have a long history of some other types of, um, issues (which didn’t stop after CEO Dov Charney’s exit). [2018 Update: After its 2017 sale to Gildan Activewear, American Apparel was no longer a “Made in the U.S.A.” company.]

Comments

Other good made-in-the-US brands include:
Marine Layer: mostly casual, but they sell work-appropriate woven buttondowns.
Curator: again, mostly casual, but includes cardigans, tops, and skirts that would work as business casual
AG jeans: y’all know what these are
Eileen Fisher: the whole line is not US-made (although they are committed to an ethical supply chain in general). Not just for 40+ women anymore! This is where I get my work pants and skirts.
Pact: some fair trade imported, some US-made. Socks/camisoles/leggings. Somewhat similar stock to American Apparel, but not run by terrible people.

Hardest nut to crack for ethically produced clothing is structured blazers and jackets. I would be very interested in any suggestions from other commenters.

If you have a Nina store near you (or are travelling to somewhere with one), I HIGHLY recommend them. Just go once and get your sizes figured out and you can order online. It’s more affordable than St. John (400-1000 for a jacket, vs. over 1000 for St. John), and more versatile.

I echo the endorsement of Eileen Fisher. They give the impression of having great concern for responsible manufacturing. Some items are made in the U.S.

I am 37 and quite thin and recently discovered that Eileen Fisher has some great offerings (I had always thought of it as frumpy clothing for middle-aged ladies). I have two skirts that are fantastic (if anything, they are a bit too short!) and recently bought a pair of pants. They are super comfortable, and I love that they are washable.

Also, as a note to Kat/Kate, I think this feature will be most valuable if you stick to brands that have a substantive commitment to ethical production. For me, the vague language about intentional buying on Cuyana’s website falls far short of that. It’s the equivalent of greenwashing. If you can call up the brand and ask them what exactly they mean, where their stuff is produced and/or why we should believe that it’s ethically produced, I’d be *very* interested in hearing the answers. Otherwise, it’s meaningless. All the major brands issue press releases about their commitments to fair labor conditions on the regular; they also continue to produce in sweatshops.

Along these lines, I think one of John Oliver’s points was that brands may say they are being “intentional” about ethical sourcing, but that sometimes those same brands turn a blind eye to whether their “ethical sources” are subcontracting out to companies with unfair labor practices or inhumane working conditions. Basically brands can (and do) protect themselves by being one step removed from exploitative production.

I said this in the last discussion on this – obviously US labour practices are nowhere near as bad as they can be in some less developed countries, but to this Brit your labour laws are still pretty darned horrific. Clopens, no mat leave, no sick pay, very little paid vacation… all illegal here. I’d buy made-in-the-EU over made-in-the-USA any day (though this is more of a frequent question in the grocery store, perhaps, where I buy Spanish grown tomatoes over Morrocan grown, for example).

Amen. I don’t get this made-in-the-USA obsession, at least not on any premise that it’s better for the workers. Plenty of other places have perfectly fine garment manufacturing practices and labor laws, and I find it very ethnocentric that Americans think our system is truly that much better than others. Yes, there are sweatshops out there, and you shouldn’t buy from them, but sticking with US-only manufacturing throws out the baby with the bathwater.

I agree with this. I think it’s also an economics issue, it’s fine to want to buy made-in-USA products but not everyone will be able to afford them. Generally speaking, wages in developed countries are higher than those in developing countries. Companies move their operations overseas in order to be able to compete globally, they are not just selling to North American consumers. Insisting on fair labor laws and good manufacturing practices across the board would be more effective.

I think our ethnocentrism is getting the best of us. When I first asked this question, I did really mean reliably ethically produced clothing from anywhere, not just Made in the U.S.A., even though that is what my question asked. Guilty as charged for interchanging the two.

I also think this is an extension of the declining quality issue. Manufacturers are cutting costs everywhere- labour, and materials are both cheaper. One is at the cost of fair treatment, the other is at the cost of quality of goods. The cheaper labour is also often less skilled (probably because many of them are basically indentured servants), which also affects quality.

There is a boutique in my town that sells Made in USA clothes and 2 of the brands they sell are Comfy USA and Tianello, in addition to Eileen Fisher – all up to a 3X. They are not business formal, but do have items that can be dressy business casual.

To me, buying at a local boutique (to keep them open and available to me) is even more important than Made in the USA/ethically produced. I love online shopping, but having a store where I can go in and have someone help me put together outfits is even better.

I strongly agree with the idea that Made in the USA is the wrong umbrella if your real desire is ethical manufacturing. I came away from a year full of trips to China believing that American consumers do the most good when they demand that company’s treat workers fairly, not when they require Made in the USA. Economics will prevail, the factors of product will do what they will do. We have to think globally, and then ethically in the global context.

The founder of a group called Goodweave, which focuses on ethical global rug-weaving, recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. We need something similar for clothing. In that framework, companies can manufacture following their bottom-line drivers, and we the consumer can bring about real change.

I generally prefer Made in USA not because our labor laws are necessarily the best in the world but because I prefer to see my fellow Americans gainfully employed so that they can support themselves and their families. But I’m willing to go outside for well-made and ethically made clothing made in other countries. I’m not familiar with labor laws in the EU but I wouldn’t quibble if something said it was made in an EU country. What I really object to is unfair, unethical, and unsafe labor practices used to create this super cheap clothing. I just don’t want people to be treated as slaves so that I can have a $5 t-shirt.

P.S. Milly is another brand where quite a bit of product is made here in the US.

I also want to bring up Everlane! Though everything is not made here, they are all about full transparency in where they get their fabrics and how and where they are manufactured. Their silk blouses are GREAT esp for the price.

And…the flashing banner on the top of this [email protected]@ page is trumpeting a skirt for $12.67! Now, I’m not maligning Kat in any way (or begrudging her need to make money from this blog) but how’s that for coincidence?

Hello, Thank you for this piece. I do try to only buy apparel made here in America because it is one way I vote with my dollars. I then photograph my outfits and link to the brands on my blog. I also wrote a bit about how I find the items that I wear here, “http://www.mrsamericanmade.com/search/where+i+shop”

Another way to come at the fast-fashion, disposable clothes problem, as well as the American-made one, is to shop vintage and consignment. For example, I bought a great suit, made in Roanoke, Virginia by the ladies garment worker union, at my local thrift shop a few weeks ago. I am not overstating things when I say it is my new favorite work outfit. And it delighted this daughter of a labor organizer to no end that it was made in America by organized workers.

As others have mentioned I’d love to see a follow up arrive with globally sourced ethics clothing – whether made in Europe or in a non-sweatshop factory in Asia. Although I suppose that’s rather difficult to determine what with long supply chains, etc.

There are so many aspects to this. What about all the fuel used to feed the thousands of monster cargo ships hauling all that cheap crap to us from the other side of the globe? Why do we get so few imports of all types from our next door neighbors Mexico and Canada? At the very least, the transportation costs would be far less. What about NAFTA? I thought that was supposed to facilitate commerce between the US, Canada, and Mexico.